I Really Hope The Thunderbolts* Winter Soldier Tease Doesn"t Undo A 9-Year-Old Character Arc

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The Thunderbolts* trailer teases the Winter Soldier"s return and I hope it doesn"t undo Bucky Barnes" nine-year character arc. Marvel"s upcoming Thunderbolts* is essentially its version of DC"s Suicide Squad. The film follows a group of the MCU"s best antiheroes who come together to complete a dangerous mission. The team features an elite lineup including Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, John Walker, Ghost, and Taskmaster. The film also brings back Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegre de Fontaine and will introduce Lewis Pullman as Sentry.
Most of these characters were introduced in Phases 4 & 5, except Ghost and Bucky. Bucky is one of the longest-tenured characters in the MCU since making his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger. After he became the Winter Soldier in 2014, he has been on a long path of redemption, trying to get back to being the person who was an honorable friend to Steve Rogers. After the first Thunderbolts* trailer, I hope the MCU doesn"t undo all that Bucky has gone through to reach his current status.
Is Bucky Back As The Winter Soldier In Thunderbolts*?! Thunderbolts* is teasing another villainous turn from Bucky Close This is a tricky question to answer. Bucky has not been the Winter Soldier for a while, yet he is still commonly referred to as his alter-ego. For example, the ending of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier changed Sam Wilson"s title to Captain America but kept Bucky"s the same, despite his possible change to the White Wolf. He isn"t subject to being brainwashed anymore, but he still hasn"t lost the title that made him an infamous threat. However, that could change based on the Thunderbolts* footage.
The trailer ends with Bucky chasing down a car filled with the Thunderbolts team. He fires a missile at their car, flipping the vehicle over. It isn"t explained why he"s attacking them, but it also doesn"t mean he"s been brainwashed again. He and Valentina are seen at a party together, so it"s possible he"s working for her, and she orders him to stop the Thunderbolts. There is a lot that isn"t explained in this trailer, and Marvel may have just wanted to show Bucky Barnes back in action.
Bucky Reverting To The Winter Soldier So Quickly Would Ruin His Character Arc Bucky Barnes doesn't deserve to go back to the Winter Soldier Close It is also possible that someone may have figured out how to brainwash Bucky once again, but I hope this isn"t the case. Starting in Captain America: Civil War, Bucky has been trying to escape his past as the Winter Soldier. After Steve helped him escape the U.S. government, he was frozen in Wakanda as they tried to find a cure for him. The experiment appeared successful, as Bucky was no longer susceptible to being brainwashed. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier fully put his dual identity to bed as Bucky learned to move forward and find closure.

Related How Thunderbolts* Continues The Story Of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Thunderbolts* will be the first film of the Multiverse Saga that brings together multiple heroes and connects to a bunch of stories, including TFatWS.
1 Bucky has had one of the best character arcs in the MCU. He started as Steve"s loyal friend before becoming a mindless killer. Steve helped him find the light and put him on the path to redemption, and he has finally started to find his place in the world without him. Bucky turning into the Winter Soldier this quickly after he put it behind him would undo all the great work Marvel has done to get him to where he is today. It would also be disappointing to see Bucky returning to his nightmare, knowing how long it could take him to undo it once more.
Marvel Already Has Another Super Soldier Going Rogue In 2025 Isaiah Bradley could be the next super soldier to take an unexpected turn

The other reason I don"t want Bucky to go rogue is that it"ll repeat a similar storyline within a short period. As seen in the Captain America: Brave New World trailer, Isaiah Bradley looks like he will get brainwashed into trying to assassinate the president. His attempt fails, but it"s still a super soldier going wrong after finally getting redemption for their disturbing past. Isaiah doesn"t have a history like the Winter Soldier, so someone has figured out how to tap into the brains of super soldiers and control them against their will.
Brave New World debuts on February 14, 2025, while Thunderbolts* releases a few months afterward on May 2. If Bucky does revert to the Winter Soldier, it will be the second MCU storyline featuring a rogue super soldier within three months. Hopefully, Bucky"s attack on the Thunderbolts crew is of his own volition. This way, Marvel can avoid ruining his character arc in Thunderbolts* and repeating a plot point that could get redundant.

Thunderbolts* (2025)
Director Jake Schreier Release Date May 2, 2025 Cast Florence Pugh , Sebastian Stan , David Harbour , Wyatt Russell , Olga Kurylenko , Hannah John-Kamen , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Geraldine Viswanathan , Lewis Pullman , Joshua Mikel Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Upcoming MCU Movies